TEL AVIV — A ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas was reached after 15 months of devastating war that saw tens of thousands of people killed Gazaleft dozens of Israelis hostages in a desperate situation and changed the face of the Middle East.
The truce, announcement On Wednesday, this should bring an end to the deadly fighting in the Gaza Strip which has killed more than 46,500 people, according to local health authorities. essential help are also expected to flow into Gaza. This will also see the gradual release of hostages captured during the ongoing October 7, 2023 terrorist attack in Gaza, as well as the release of Palestinians detained by Israel.
Here’s what we know so far about the three-phase deal:
What would happen in the first phase?
The three-step deal calls for an initial ceasefire phase of about six weeks that could begin as soon as the end of the week, a diplomatic source in Washington told NBC News.
Before the deal could be reached, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will have to seek approval of the deal from his security cabinet and his entire cabinet before Israel’s Supreme Court has 24 hours to allow an appeal.
As a result, a ceasefire could come into effect no earlier than Friday, the diplomatic source said, although the truce is expected to begin on Sunday if the Israeli Cabinet and Supreme Court allow the agreement to move forward.
It is unclear, however, when exactly the Israeli cabinet will meet, with Netanyahu’s office reporting a delay on Thursday, accusing Hamas of reneging on part of the agreement and creating a “last minute crisis”. The Israeli leader’s office did not elaborate further and a Hamas spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
